eatinglightning
Aquarium Advice Newbie
please help! my beloved oranda is sick and i don't know what to do.
he (i don't know if he is a he btw) lived his whole life in a one-gallon tank with a little bubbler; about six weeks ago, i got him a new three-gallon tank, which doesn't appear to make bubbles but has a filtration system called the bio-wheel (i will look up more when i get home). i followed the instructions, filling the tank, waiting a full 24 hours to put him in. the water clouded up after a couple days; i had read that this was normal. then everything seemed fine. so fine i stupidly didn't change his water.
after he had been living there about three weeks, i noticed him spending more time than usual floating in an upper corner of the tank, instead of swimming or drifting about. this went on for a couple days, and he ate less than usual. on about the third day, i came home to find him in the middle of the tank. this seemed bad. i set out water so i could give him a full change the next day.
the next day, he was on the bottom of the tank. i read that it might be his swim bladder, so i didn't feed him for 3 days, and he pooped a lot, but looked unhappy. at some point, i did a full water change, and got him a new filter too (not sure at what point i did this). then i started feeding him mashed skinned peas. he still looked bummed.
when he looked no better after a couple days, i got him maracyn 2, as i had read that bacterial infections can mess up a swim bladder. i followed the instructions and he definitely perked up, but still can't make it farther than mid-tank and always sinks right back down. when i finished the course, i let him go a day without, and he got more lethargic right away. i read on the package that you could give the fish a second course of marcyn 2 if the first one didn't work, so i did a full water change, and then started him on that again. he perked up a bit but not much.
today was the last day of the second course of antibiotics. i am at wit's end. i have been feeding him skinned peas this whole time, and he is always stoked to see them and eats well; tonight i am going to find him some real food that floats to the bottom, but i don't know what else to do: i can't do the antibiotic powder again, and i am going home for christmas in a couple weeks and don't wanna leave him like this with the 7-day vacation feeder. is there something else that could be wrong with him? he still looks spectacular, great color, no shaggy parts.
i answered all the questions below to the best of my knowledge at present. i will research more about the filter and food when i get home, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. though i am writing fairly generically about him here, i love him like crazy and would be devastated to lose him.
-p
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
oranda. looks great, eats the skinned, mashed peas that float down to it, but occasionally lies sideways, can't reach top of tank swimming. has been this way for two weeks
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
i am ashamed to say i don't know this.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
3 gallons. has been set up for about six weeks; fish previously lived in 1-gallon tank, became ill about 3-4 weeks into living in new tank
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
gulp. i will look up when i get home; it came with the tank and involves something called the "bio-wheel"
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
1 fish, about 4 inches including tail
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel?
last week
How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
i had not changed the water since installing him in the new tank; when fish got ill, i did whole water change, changed again 1 week later
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
i have had the fish about 3 years. when i moved it into the new tank, i rinsed out the new tank and all the rocks and fake plants that were to go in it; i let the water stand with the little bio-wheel running for 24 hours; then i took fish out of his old tank with a little net and dropped him in.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
no
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
i will look at the bottle when i get home; it is little red balls that float on top of the water; he has been eating the same food for three years. after he got sick, i started mashing up green peas and giving him those.
he (i don't know if he is a he btw) lived his whole life in a one-gallon tank with a little bubbler; about six weeks ago, i got him a new three-gallon tank, which doesn't appear to make bubbles but has a filtration system called the bio-wheel (i will look up more when i get home). i followed the instructions, filling the tank, waiting a full 24 hours to put him in. the water clouded up after a couple days; i had read that this was normal. then everything seemed fine. so fine i stupidly didn't change his water.
after he had been living there about three weeks, i noticed him spending more time than usual floating in an upper corner of the tank, instead of swimming or drifting about. this went on for a couple days, and he ate less than usual. on about the third day, i came home to find him in the middle of the tank. this seemed bad. i set out water so i could give him a full change the next day.
the next day, he was on the bottom of the tank. i read that it might be his swim bladder, so i didn't feed him for 3 days, and he pooped a lot, but looked unhappy. at some point, i did a full water change, and got him a new filter too (not sure at what point i did this). then i started feeding him mashed skinned peas. he still looked bummed.
when he looked no better after a couple days, i got him maracyn 2, as i had read that bacterial infections can mess up a swim bladder. i followed the instructions and he definitely perked up, but still can't make it farther than mid-tank and always sinks right back down. when i finished the course, i let him go a day without, and he got more lethargic right away. i read on the package that you could give the fish a second course of marcyn 2 if the first one didn't work, so i did a full water change, and then started him on that again. he perked up a bit but not much.
today was the last day of the second course of antibiotics. i am at wit's end. i have been feeding him skinned peas this whole time, and he is always stoked to see them and eats well; tonight i am going to find him some real food that floats to the bottom, but i don't know what else to do: i can't do the antibiotic powder again, and i am going home for christmas in a couple weeks and don't wanna leave him like this with the 7-day vacation feeder. is there something else that could be wrong with him? he still looks spectacular, great color, no shaggy parts.
i answered all the questions below to the best of my knowledge at present. i will research more about the filter and food when i get home, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. though i am writing fairly generically about him here, i love him like crazy and would be devastated to lose him.
-p
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
oranda. looks great, eats the skinned, mashed peas that float down to it, but occasionally lies sideways, can't reach top of tank swimming. has been this way for two weeks
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
i am ashamed to say i don't know this.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
3 gallons. has been set up for about six weeks; fish previously lived in 1-gallon tank, became ill about 3-4 weeks into living in new tank
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
gulp. i will look up when i get home; it came with the tank and involves something called the "bio-wheel"
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
1 fish, about 4 inches including tail
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel?
last week
How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
i had not changed the water since installing him in the new tank; when fish got ill, i did whole water change, changed again 1 week later
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
i have had the fish about 3 years. when i moved it into the new tank, i rinsed out the new tank and all the rocks and fake plants that were to go in it; i let the water stand with the little bio-wheel running for 24 hours; then i took fish out of his old tank with a little net and dropped him in.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
no
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
i will look at the bottle when i get home; it is little red balls that float on top of the water; he has been eating the same food for three years. after he got sick, i started mashing up green peas and giving him those.